Conscious pornography:
Riding the new wave of feminism?

It is freedom of expression with boundaries, much like

‘conscious rap.’ Designed to titillate and arouse our

senses, these ‘conscious’ types of materials attach

themselves to a greater good and seek to curb some unhealthy social

consequences of the industry.

As a feminist who runs in different circles of feminists, opinions

on pornography are vehemently debated. Feminists, much like their

responses, are widely varied. It really is a case of whom you ask.

Radical feminists, Catholic feminists, pro-life feminists, eco

feminists, anarchist feminists, socialist feminists, pro-sex

feminists, will all challenge each other on the complex issue of

pornography.

Pro-sex feminism is quickly becoming an attempt to take the reigns

of the pornography argument. According to a compilation of feminist

terms defined at

“_new”>Freeweb.com, a pro-sex feminist is defined as the

following:

“Pro-Sex feminists believe that pornography can offer women a

way to explore and affirm their sexualities … promote sexual

autonomy, and encourage female sexual pleasure … experience

sexual alternatives, break cultural stereotypes, and empower

themselves … We like men. We like sex with men … We like

looking sexy and we are not ashamed to do so and we’re

feminists.” Some cultural stereotypes being broken are within

the pornography industry, which is now plodding its way towards

enriching itself with sex-positive and female-centric

productions.

Companies such as Women’s Touch out of Madison, Wisconsin,

Grand Opening in Boston-Los Angeles, and Come As You Are in Canada,

are owned and operated by women and cater to the sexual desires of

all types of women.

Anne Semans is the marketing manager for Toys in Babeland, a

Seattle-New York based store chain that sells sex toys, and

provides educational outreach and workshops on university campuses.

The stores also provide pornography for the discriminating female

consumer. We talked by phone on the subject of feminism and

pornography.

“I was in college and taking women’s studies classes in

which the message was ‘porn is bad, porn is

bad,’” says Semans. “When I found a collection of

porn, I was asking myself ‘why I should feel bad about

enjoying it?’ Feminism is about rights for women, sex is the

most fundamental human right, and women have been historically

denied that right.”

Still, the ideological war on pornography continues to rage between

feminists. At the forefront of the feminist anti-pornography

movement are two highly educated scholars, Andrea Dworkin and

Catherine MacKinnon. Both women have assumed the most extreme

position on pornography, asserting, “Pornography is the

theory and rape is the practice.” The problem lies in the

narrow definition of feminism espoused by Dworkin and Mackinnon, in

turn, making it difficult for feminists to reconcile their sexual

identity and needs.

Semans counters the philosophy that women who consume pornography

are bad feminists. “Absolutely not. Standing up and declaring

‘I like watching porn, it turns me on’ is powerful. It

just boils down to a fundamental difference of opinions. Most

people cannot deal with the economic reality of women making porn

and women consuming porn.”

Although Semans does not draw a line in the sand between good

pornography and bad, she does not ignore the bad tastes of most

porn industry directors with regards to gratuitous violence, the

lack of creative story plots, and other unrealistic

interpretations. However, there is a movement underfoot to change

the industry standard.

Now more than ever, women are investing their resources and

expertise in startup porn production companies, rolling the camera,

writing the scripts, and sitting in the director’s chair. It

is a knee-jerk reaction to a widening market that is beginning to

crave real bodies, real orgasms and artistic vision.

One such feminist visionary is Candida Royalle, a former porn star

who is now president of Femme Productions and co-founder of

Feminists For Free Expression, an organization devoted to

anti-censorship. As a director, Royalle’s films include

“Stud Hunters,” “The Bridal Shower” and

“Urban Heat.” Between a tight schedule of interviews

and appearances, most notably with CNN’s own Anderson Cooper,

she has written a newly published book called, How To Tell a Naked

Man What To Do. On her way to porn mogul-dom, Royalle does not sway

from her feminist leanings and sex-positive attitude.

I spoke with one sex educator sales associate at Good Vibrations,

another company with a sexually responsible mission statement. I

asked, “Will feminists ever rule the sex industry?”

“Of course,” she bellowed, “we just have to seize

the moment.”

Aubrey Salazar
Columnist

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